The boys debate their Scoutmaster’s question: “If a tree falls and no one is around, does it make a sound?”
Across the world, in a peopleless forest, lightning strikes an ancient oak tree.
As it falls, squirrels, rabbits, foxes and deer stop and listen to its groans.
Birds burst into the sky as it slams to the earth.
The younger oaks feel the vibration of their mother’s fall in their root system and will mourn her loss for centuries.
“A tree won’t make a sound if no one is around to hear it,” the Boy Scouts agree.
